1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document conversion system of a document which is available through a network such as an internet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
WWW (world wide web) is a distributed information system based upon the concept of a hypertext. When a document put on a WWW server on an internet is required, a user designates its document name URL (Uniform Resource Locator) from a browser. Consequently, a transmission request is sent to the WWW server having the document from the browser. From the WWW server having the document, the document is sent to the browser.
In the document (the hypertext) sent from the WWW server, a link (hyperlink information) pointing to another document or the like is embedded. The hypertext is generally described in a language called HTML (Hypertext markup language). In the HTML, the hyperlink information is described using a start tag  less than A . . .  greater than  and an end tag  less than /A greater than , as shown in FIG. 12. Information at the link destination is designated as xe2x80x9chttp://www.abc.co.jp/xe2x80x9d by the URL.
Furthermore, an anchor of a hyperlink such as a keyword, for example, xe2x80x9cHome page of ABCxe2x80x9d is inserted between the start tag  less than A . . .  greater than  and the end tag  less than /A greater than . When the keyword which is the anchor of the hyperlink is clicked, a transmission request is sent to a server having a document at the link destination from the browser. From the server having the document at the link destination, the document is sent to the browser. Consequently, the document at the link destination is displayed.
In many cases, the document sent from the server on the internet is English. If the document sent from the server can be automatically translated into Japanese and displayed, therefore, it is expected that the utilization of the internet is further promoted.
When the hypertext is translated from English into Japanese, for example, a tag enclosed by a sign xe2x80x9c less than xe2x80x9d and a sign xe2x80x9c greater than xe2x80x9d or a tag enclosed by a sign xe2x80x9c/xe2x80x9d and a sign xe2x80x9c greater than xe2x80x9d is left as it is without being translated. An English sentence in the other portion is translated into Japanese. Consequently, the keyword which is the anchor of the hyperlink included in the hyperlink information is also translated.
The keyword which is the anchor of the hyperlink has a jumping function to the contents related thereto. When the keyword is not suitably translated, therefore, it is difficult to designate a suitable jumping destination. For example, in a case where the keyword is xe2x80x9ctrialxe2x80x9d meaning judicial examination or inquiry in a court of law, when it is translated into not xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d but xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d, it is difficult to presume xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d from Japanese xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d. Consequently, information relating to xe2x80x9cxe2x80x9d is not readily available.
An object of the present invention is to provide a document conversion system capable of making available, when a document is required by a hyperlink function, a document which is subjected to document conversion such as translation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of translating a hypertext type document, which allows a translated sentence in which an anchor of a hyperlink in the hypertext type document is translated or a translated sentence in which an anchor of a hyperlink is left as it is without being translated to be obtained depending on the selection of a user.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an HTML document translating machine capable of automatically converting an HTML document whose text is described in a first language into an HTML document whose text is described in a second language.
A first document conversion system according to the present invention comprises data monitoring means provided in a user-side application, a server-side application and between the applications, and is characterized in that the user-side application and the data monitoring means are provided in a user-side device, and the data monitoring means comprises means for adding tag information representing a document conversion method to hyperlink information included in a hypertext type document sent to the user-side device from the server-side application and sending to the user-side application the hyperlink information to which the tag information is added, and means for converting, when the tag information representing the document conversion method is included in a command to request retrieval which is sent from the user-side application, a document sent from the server-side application as the results of the retrieval in accordance with the document conversion method represented by the tag information and sending the converted document to the user-side application. Examples of the tag information representing the document conversion method include tag information indicating that a given language is converted into another language.
A second document conversion system according to the present invention comprises data monitoring means provided in a user-side application, a server-side application and between the applications, and is characterized in that the user-side application and the data monitoring means are provided in a user-side device, the data monitoring means comprises means for adding tag information representing a document conversion method to hyperlink information included in a hypertext type document sent to the user-side device from the server-side application and sending to the user-side application the hyperlink information to which the tag information is added, and the server-side application converts, when the tag information representing the document conversion method is included in a command to request retrieval which is sent from the user-side device, a document which is the results of the retrieval in accordance with the document conversion method represented by the tag information and sending the converted document to the user-side device. Examples of the tag information representing the document conversion method include tag information indicating that a given language is converted into another language.
In the first or second document conversion system of a hypertext type document according to the present invention, when an anchor of a hyperlink (a keyword) in the hypertext type document displayed on the user-side device by the user-side application is clicked, a document at the link destination which is designated by corresponding hyperlink information is automatically converted and displayed.
The data monitoring means may embed, when the tag information representing the document conversion method is added to the hyperlink information included in the hypertext type document sent to the user-side device from the server-side application, hyperlink information whose link destination is the hypertext type document and to which the tag information representing the document conversion method is added in the hypertext type document. This makes it possible to convert the hypertext type document itself displayed on the user-side device by the user-side application and display the converted hypertext type document.
A method of translating a hypertext type document according to the present invention is characterized by making a user select an anchor translation mode in which an anchor of a hyperlink is translated or an anchor non-translation mode in which it is left as it is without being translated, to translate the anchor of the hyperlink when a hypertext type document is translated in a case where the anchor translation mode is selected, while leaving the anchor of the hyperlink as it is when the hypertext type document is translated in a case where the anchor non-translation mode is selected.
The hyperlink information comprises a start tag representing hyperlink information, an end tag representing hyperlink information, and an anchor of a hyperlink interposed between the start tag and the end tag. When the anchor translation mode is selected, the start tag and the end tag are recognized as respective one words and are stored in relation to the anchor. After only the anchor is translated, the start tag and the end tag are added to an equivalent of the anchor.
When the anchor non-translation mode is selected, the entire hyperlink information is recognized as one word, so that the hyperlink information is left as it is without being translated.
In the method of translating a hypertext type document according to the present invention, a translated sentence in which an anchor of a hyperlink in a hypertext type document is translated or a translated sentence in which an anchor of a hyperlink is left as it is without being translated can be obtained depending on the selection by a user.
A first HTML document translating machine according to the present invention is for converting an HTML document whose text is described in a first language into an HTML document whose text is described in a second language.
In the first HTML document translating machine according to the present invention, a first tag modifying the entire sentence is retrieved from the original text. When the first tag modifying the entire sentence exists, a sentence obtained by removing the first tag modifying the entire sentence from the original text is taken as a sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis. The tag modifying the entire sentence is stored in relation to the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis.
The sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis is subjected to form elementary analysis including word division and grammar analysis. A second tag modifying one or a plurality of words is retrieved from the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis on the basis of the results of the form elementary analysis. When the second tag modifying one or a plurality of words exists, a start tag which together with an end tag, constitutes the second word is stored in relation to a first word just behind the start tag, and the end tag is stored in relation to a second word just ahead of the end tag.
A sentence obtained by removing the second tag from the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis is subjected to syntactic and semantic analysis. Equivalents in a second language are respectively assigned to words constituting the sentence obtained by removing the second tag from the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis on the basis of the results of the analysis. The equivalents are so assembled as to constitute a sentence in the second language, to form a translated sentence in the second language.
In the formed translated sentence, the start tag stored in relation to the first word is added ahead of the equivalent corresponding to the first word, and the end tag stored in relation to the second word is added behind the equivalent corresponding to the second word. The first tag modifying the entire sentence is added to a sentence thus obtained.
A second HTML document translating machine according to the present invention is for converting an HTML document whose text is described in a first language into an HTML document whose text is described in a second language.
In the second HTML document translating machine according to the present invention, a first tag modifying only one character is retrieved from the original text. When the first tag modifying only one character exists, the position of the first tag is so changed that the first tag modifies either one of the entire sentence and a word including the character modified by the first tag.
A second tag modifying the entire sentence is retrieved from the original text in which the position of the first tag has been changed. When the second tag modifying the entire sentence exists, a sentence obtained by removing the second tag modifying the entire sentence from the original text is taken as a sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis. The second tag modifying the entire sentence is stored in relation to the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis.
The sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis is subjected to form elementary analysis including word division and grammar analysis. When a third tag modifying one or a plurality of words is retrieved from the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis on the basis of the results of the form elementary analysis. When the third tag modifying one or a plurality of words exists, a start tag which together with an end tag, constitutes the third tag is stored in relation to a first word just behind the start tag, and the end tag is stored in relation to a second word just ahead of the end tag.
A sentence obtained by removing the third tag from the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis is subjected to syntactic analysis and semantic analysis. Equivalents in a second language are respectively assigned to words constituting the sentence obtained by removing the third tag from the sentence to be subjected to form elementary analysis on the basis of the results of the analysis. The equivalents are so assembled as to constitute a sentence in the second language, to form a translated sentence in the second language.
In the formed translated sentence, the start tag stored in relation to the first word is added ahead of the equivalent corresponding to the first word, and the end tag stored in relation to the second word is added behind the equivalent corresponding to the second word. The second tag modifying the entire sentence is added to a sentence thus obtained.
In the HTML document translating machine according to the present invention, the HTML document whose text is described in the first language can be automatically converted into the HTML document whose text is described in the second language. Consequently, an HTML document prepared in a language in its own country can be automatically converted into an HTML document in a language in the other country.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.